Wednesday, 22 February 2012

With Cairns still in an economic slump - that many businesses believe is in its forth year, coupled with steady high unemployment, Labor has bypassed a serious injection for the region and announced that they have always had a big vision for Townsville.

''We really want to turbocharge the region’s future with a 20-year vision for Townsville,'' Anna Bligh said in a statement this morning.'

''Townsville is an important major regional centre – it’s Australia’s largest tropical city, the largest service centre in the nation’s north and the key centre for economic and population growth in North Queensland. That’s why it makes sense to promote it as the state’s second capital city.''

Labor have seven priority actions termed ‘turbochargers’, that aim to provide direction for Townsville over the next 20 years. These turbochargers include:

Decentralisation – including locating public servants within the Townsville region in the CBD and identifying whole or sections of government departments suitable for decentralisation to the region;

National broadband network roll-out – including setting up a committee to guide priorities and promote opportunities in Townsville arising from the NBN;

Townsville State Development Area – including a detailed planning study and fast track processes to help facilitate privately owned land to be development ready;

Central business district revitalisation – provide incentives for new development to revitalise the CBD;

Northern Queensland defence hub – recognise that Townsville is the centre of the North Queensland defence hub and establish a joint federal-state- local advisory body to advise on the growth of this hub;

Douglas Knowledge Precinct – consolidate James Cook University and Townsville hospital as a ‘health and knowledge precinct’;

Northern Queensland Convention and Entertainment Centre – undertake feasibility work on the possible development of convention and entertainment facilities within the CBD.

8 comments:

Are we really surprised? I think i'm going to be physically sick. Cairns has been ignored for years and Townsville always favoured and our pitiful current ALP members just sit back and adopt the party line.So many of their goals are exactly the same as ours. While we fight with each other over major projects, Townsville presents a united front and moves forward. This is the most compelling case yet that Anna Bligh MUST go and we cannot afford to elect an ignorant puppet like Lesina who will eat a shit sandwhich if the ALP tells her to do so.

The independents will get you a big fat nothing when it comes to working for the area. They get treated like the unpopular kid at school by whoever wins unless you hold the balance of power such as the dipshits that we have Federally at present.I doubt if we will have a hung Government this time.We need a change however i do accept that there are fanatical labour supportors who believe they have done a good job.

So, the Bligh Labor government has announced that Townsville is to become Queensland’s “second capital city”. It is now not only to be a mining, industrial, defense and transport hub, it is also to become home to significant government offices.

Where does this leave Cairns? Cairns has none of these things and is now missing out again. However, we are being offered a nice, expensive Entertainment Precinct……right on strategic port land. Is there a strategy becoming apparent here? Ever since the Cairns Regional Council has become dominated by green left “arts” types, they have been single mindedly trying to halt growth and development in this city, with the help of their fellow travelers in state government, to the incidental benefit of our southern sister.

This green left clique are determined that Cairns is friendly to “green” projects only and closed to all other industry and development. Thus, the site of the Entertainment Precinct fits in well with their plans, as does choking cars out of the CBD, favouring arts projects, driving up rates and placing the welfare of crocodiles above that of citizens to name a few. They are also the same people who put the well being of the criminals and itinerants that currently infest our streets and parks above that of hard working and law abiding members of the community, as their ideology is quick to demand “rights” for these people but slow to recognize that society expects responsibilities to come with those rights.

Their final aim is to prevent all non-green industries in this city and to stifle most residential growth (or “encroachment” as they call it). With fewer employment prospects and little incentive for entrepreneurs with vision call this place home, people with a desire for greater opportunities will be driven away from Cairns. Then population growth will stagnate, residential growth and development will cease, property values will fall and these people will be left to enjoy the little arts friendly “green village in a rainforest” that they have created. To those who object, they will lay the blame for stagnation on the Global Financial Crisis and accept no responsibility for themselves and their policies.

When I first came to Cairns in 2002, there was a real buzz about the place, the city was going places, it was clean and safe and there was a great energy and feeling of optimism in the air. But under the guidance of our current civic and state representatives this has all but evaporated. The writing is on the wall and the direction these people are trying to take us in is becoming clearer each day. Please, if you want this city to have the vibrant and economically diverse future it deserves, with opportunities for all and not just the few, if you want responsible growth rather than a “lock everything up and throw away the key” mentality, then PLEASE vote for leaders who undertake to promote a positive and economically diverse vision for our city at the upcoming elections. Another three or four years of our current leadership and our city may never recover that “buzz” again.

Sorry how did I loose my agrguement there? This area was identified by the port authority as "strategic port land" in fact I believe this is where the term came from. Beyond this, it is plain common sense that this area be retained for commercial port operations as there is very little area available for this, esp. close to the city. If you want it further up the inlet, or on the far bank, the further you have to dredge/build infrastructure etc and this obviously has increased ecconomic and environmental liabilities associated with it....

To say that Cairns is "not a natural port" is a cop out......what are we going to do - move the city? We are here now & the port needs to be improved to meet the demands of a (hopefully) growing and ecconomically diverse centre.

Help the work of CairnsBlog!Your financial support helps brings issues to the public, that otherwise get ignored by the brain-dead commercial media.
Click the Donate button above. You can also direct deposit into the CairnsBlog a/c. Email for details.

Donate to CairnsBlog

Help the work of CairnsBlog!

Your donations are very much appreciated. By making a donation, you are helping to support my work. Your support will assist in bringing issues to the public, that otherwise get ignored by the brain-dead commercial media.

You can also direct deposit into the CairnsBlog a/c

BSB 06 4175A/C 1013 6761

Friends of CairnsBlogCommonwealth Bank

Donations can be made at any Commonwealth Bank branch, or online.

Help support our work to create a more accountable and open local democracy in Cairns.